Seasons of Love
by JesusLover13
Summary: Love is in the air, just as it always is at this time of year. From romance, to caring for their friends, and occasionally goofing off, the X-Men and Brotherhood realize what Valentine's Day is really all about: Loving each other. A series of one shots. This will contain a lot of couples and some friendship stories as well. Not JUST a Valentine's Day fic.
1. Not What It Seems

**Hi there! :) This idea came to me today as I was thinking about Valentine's Day and what it's really about. It's not necessarily just about couples, but about loving another human being - which means family and friends as well. :) **

**I was going to do thirteen one shots to count down to February 14th, but then changed my mind. I think I'd have more fun with this if it extended longer, even after Valentine's Day. Most of the couple fics in this will be centered around this holiday, but the main purpose of the one shots is to show love. And who says we should only do that once a year? So, this should continue even after Valentine's Day.  
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**What else? I guess I should go ahead and mention that I'll be doing a variety of couples, not just the canon ones. If you don't like a couple, you're welcome to skip the chapter. This one is going to be Scott/Jean. I thought it'd be nice to start with them, since almost everyone loves them, anyway (almost, I know! The Scott/Rogue fans probably don't). :) Anyways, if you have any questions, just ask. I hope you enjoy the story! ^_^**

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**Chapter One: Not What It Seems**

Jean Grey sat outside, trying to enjoy that cool, dark February night. The wind blew through her hair, causing her to shiver a bit, but she didn't care.

The only thing she really cared about was February 15th, which couldn't come soon enough. She was tired of Valentine's Day. She was tired of couples. She was tired of everything being pink anywhere she went. And she was, most importantly, tired of Scott Summers.

Instead of being the sweet, perfect boyfriend she'd expected him to be on this day, he'd been ignoring her. He'd been up in his room _all day _and, when she'd tried to talk to him earlier, he'd pretty much ignored her and retreated back to his room to make a phone call.

She'd even tried reading his mind once and all she found was him stressing out about what to eat for dinner that night.

She slammed her fist down on the arm of the bench she was sitting on. Ugh! Why did boys - no, why did _Scott_ - have to be so stupid?!

Even Lance hadn't forgotten what day it was. He and Kitty had left half an hour ago to go see a movie. Kurt had taken Amanda out to dinner. Tabitha had dragged Bobby away to go dancing with her. And even Rogue was no where to be found.

Everyone else was out having fun and her boyfriend just _had _to pick this night to start acting like a... a... She didn't even know of a word that would describe how ridiculous he was being.

"Is something wrong?" came Ororo's calm voice.

Jean looked up and wondered how long the older woman had been standing there. She sighed. "Scott's just being a jerk, that's all."

"It wouldn't take a telepath to figure out that's what you were upset about." She took a seat on the other side of the bench, next to the teen. "I am here if you would like to talk about it."

Jean shook her head. She knew talking would only make her more angry.

The two sat in silence for a while, gazing out into the darkness. It would've been a perfectly peaceful night if Jean hadn't been so incredibly frustrated right then.

"Sometimes in life," Ororo began, "things aren't as though they might seem. Sometimes we must look deeper to find what's really there. Only then can we see the complete picture."

Jean sensed that Ororo was simply trying to help her feel better, and maybe she was even right, but it didn't make the girl feel any better. She could see the complete picture already - it'd just taken her a while. Scott really didn't care. Or, even if he did, he hadn't taken the time to notice how upset and lonely she was.

She'd never been one to go crazy over Valentine's Day, but she would have at least liked a simple "I love you" or something from him.

"Maybe you should try speaking with Scott," Storm suggested.

"I tried."

Ororo sighed, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Everything will be all right, child. You'll see."

Jean smiled sadly. "Thanks, Storm."

The older woman nodded, getting up and heading back toward the house. Jean was busy staring up at the stars when, suddenly, someone blocked her view.

And that someone was none other than Scott Summers.

She stood up angrily, glaring at him. "So, you've come to talk now?"

He seemed taken aback by her reaction to seeing his face. "Uh... Yeah," he managed. "I was actually coming to tell you something."

"What?" she snapped, without meaning to. Usually, it would take quite a bit to make her get angry at Scott, but tonight was different. He'd forgotten about everything they'd been planning for weeks - the walk in the park, the dinner reservations, everything. "What were you going to tell me, Scott? That you're sorry? That you're worried about being late for whatever special dinner you've planned? Or... I know - maybe you're sorry about ignoring me all day long just to lock yourself in your room and make a bunch of stupid phone calls!"

She didn't have to see his eyes to notice the look of shock that crossed his face for a brief moment. "Jean..." he trailed off.

She shook her head. "Save it, Scott." And with that, she turned to head back to the Institute.

He stood there, bewildered, for a second before running after her. Had she not noticed he was dressed up? Had she not noticed the beautiful, red rose in his hands? Hadn't she even noticed that he'd fixed his hair up a little?

"Jean!" he called, jogging a bit to catch up with her. He found it interesting how girls were always ten times faster at walking when they were angry. "Jean, wait!"

She didn't wait, though. She was too upset to speak to him any longer. How could he forget about her on the one night they'd had so many great things planned?

"Jean." His voice was a lot more steady now, since he'd finally caught up to her. He decided against grabbing her arm and instead jumped in front of her to stop her from going any further. "I didn't forget our plans," he tried to explain.

She pushed past him, not as hard as he'd expected, and kept walking. "Sure you didn't."

"Our reservations at the restaurant got canceled, and every other restaurant in Bayville was booked."

She hesitated for half a second before forcing herself to snort. "Nice try, Scott."

He once again jumped out in front of her, looking her in the eyes. "Jean, I've been in my room all day trying to make reservations to another restaurant. One of my friends called earlier, when you were in the room. They wanted us to double date with them tonight, but-"

"Why didn't we go, then?" she questioned, her hands on her hips. "Anything would have been better than sitting outside alone, being ignored by the one person I care about."

He took a deep breath, stepping in front of her when she tried to walk away again. "We didn't go, because I wanted to spend time with you - _alone._" He sighed. "Listen, Jean, I spent all day up there trying to find someplace nice to take you tonight, but everything kept falling apart. All the restaurants can't hold anymore people tonight."

She only stared at him, a blank, unreadable expression on her face as she thought.

"I wasn't trying to ignore you, I promise. I was trying to do something nice for you, because _I love you._"

She couldn't stop herself from checking his mind, just to see if he was serious about all of this. She felt like an idiot when she realized he was. He'd really spent all day in his room, away from everyone, making phone calls _for her._

"Scott, I..." she began quietly, but the grin on his face stopped her.

"Come with me," he said, taking her hand.

Twenty minutes and one car ride later, they had arrived at a park the next town over. Scott got out and Jean allowed him to open the door for her.

"Why are we here?" she asked him, trying to keep the butterflies out of her stomach, even though she knew that was impossible.

He held out his arm for her to take. "We're here for a walk through the park I promised you, but that's not all." He grinned at her, and even winked, even though he knew she couldn't see his eyes.

"No?"

"No. There will be an elegant dinner waiting for us at the end of our journey."

She smiled softly. She loved when Scott acted like this. There were some sides of himself that he only showed to her - and this was one of them. He wouldn't dare let the others catch him acting quite like this. They'd never let him live it down. But Jean seemed to like it, so he kept it up.

"This is nice," she commented, admiring the park as they strolled around together. The trees created a canopy above them and the cool breeze made them want to walk closer to each other.

Scott smiled softly. "It is."

It didn't take them too long before they reached the back of the park. "Maybe we should go back now," Jean told him, squeezing his hand.

Scott shook his head. "Close your eyes."

"Wh-"

"Trust me."

She smiled and slowly closed her eyes. He took her hand and carefully guided her to a small clearing a few feet away. The clearing was a perfect circle, lit up by candles, which surrounded a small picnic blanket. On top of the blanket was a basket, which held their not-so-fancy dinner. He hoped it would be nice enough. He'd prepared the whole thing the day before, just in case the restaurant plans didn't work out. Ororo had been kind enough to light the candles in advance, a little before she'd walked up to Jean at the Institute.

Moving his girlfriend over to the middle of the picnic blanket, he looked over everything once more, just to make sure it was all in place. This had to be perfect. He wanted her to have a wonderful Valentine's Day - one she'd talk about for many more years to come. One worth remembering. When he saw that everything was where it should be, he turned back to her, wanting to see her expression when she saw their romantic dinner.

Even if all he saw was disappointment, he wanted to know what she thought of this. He just prayed she'd be happy instead of upset.

"Okay. Open your eyes."

She opened her eyes as quick as possible, first seeing him, and then everything around them. It took a moment for her to truly understand what was going on, but it didn't take long for her to imagine the great lengths he'd probably gone to to make this... spectacular dinner. "Scott," she said breathlessly, hardly able to contain her amazement. This was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. No one had ever done something so nice for her, not even her parents. "This is amazing. It's... beautiful. How did you... I mean, _when _did you-"

"I made time," he interrupted, _beyond _satisfied with her reaction. Finally, he'd done something right. She was happy and that's what made his Valentine's Day perfect.

She stared at him for a moment, the expression on her face hard to read. She looked like she could melt from the happiness she was glowing with. "Thank you," she whispered, reaching forward and pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, Scott. This means the world to me."

He slowly wrapped his arms around her to return the hug. He wasn't quite sure how to get his thoughts out into the open, but after a while, he finally did, "_You _mean the world to me."

She smiled softly, never wanting to let him go. "I love you, Scott Summers."

He grinned. "And I love you, Jean Grey."

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**Thanks for reading! :D**

**You guys are welcome to suggest a couple (I don't write slashes or anything like that, though) and/or any ideas you might have. It can't be guaranteed that I can use them all, but I'll try my best. :)  
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**Now, get out there and show someone you care. Love is, after all, the greatest thing you could ever give someone. ^_^  
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	2. Big Surprises in Small Packages

**Well, here's chapter two! ^_^ I forgot to mention on the last author's note that these one shots aren't related to one another, unless I specifically say that some are. Also, THANK YOU to Bluejay20 and tx peppa for following the story. And THANK YOU to Sporks and my sister, Angel, for reviewing! You guys are really amazing! :)  
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**Sporks: I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter! I appreciate the fact that you read it! :D As for the Kurt/Amanda thing, I appreciate you asking nicely (really, more people should do stuff like that) and of course I'll write a chapter about them! ^_^ I don't hate Amanda (I actually used to be a Kurt/Amanda fan and still am a little, but I've really been converted to the Kurtty side). I think Amanda is a great character, though. :) I was going to write that for this chapter, but inspiration for that one shot hasn't arrived yet. When it does, though, I'll post the chapter. :D Thanks for suggesting a couple! ^_^  
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**Angel: Awww! Thank you! ^_^ Love you too and thank you SO much for reading! You're amazing! :) 3  
**

**Now, I might as well go ahead and put a warning up here for people who want to know who this chapter will be about. Um... it's a mixture of a few things. It's Kurtty friendship, with mentions of Kitty/Lance and Kurt/Amanda. The real point of this chapter was a bit of friendship, but it also has some one sided Kitty/Jamie. I thought the kid deserved a chapter for Valentine's Day. What can I say? He's adorable. Enjoy! :)**

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**Chapter Two: Big Surprises in Small Packages**

_"Will you be my Valentine?"_

That was literally the first thing Kitty Pryde saw when she woke up on the morning of Valentine's Day. And by literally, well... It was right in front of her face. Right _on _her face, actually. Someone had apparently taped a red heart to her ceiling while she was asleep the night before. Sometime during the night the tape had, presumably, gotten tired of holding the nice, homemade red heart up and allowed it to fall down onto her face.

At first Kitty had been annoyed, but then she'd read the card. Just her luck, though - no one had signed it. Gosh, some of those boys at the Institute could be so cowardly. She would agree to nothing until she knew who the mysterious sender was - and how they'd managed to tape the card directly above her head without her noticing.

As she got dressed and ready for the day, she wondered exactly who, at the Institute, would even want to be her Valentine. It definitely wasn't any of the adults, or Scott. She doubted it was Roberto or Sam. And unless Bobby was messing with her, it wasn't him.

Kurt... well, he _might _would give her a Valentine's Day card, but that still wouldn't explain how he got it onto the ceiling. Evan couldn't have been the one either. He wasn't likely to send _anyone _something so thoughtful, and besides, he would've just spiked it to the ceiling.

There was still a possibility it could be one of the younger mutants, and Kurt. She'd just assume it was the blue elf for now and give him a chance to admit to giving her the card later.

In fact, she thought breakfast would actually be the perfect chance for him to open up about it. "Good morning," she greeted, putting up her hair as she headed into the dining area.

Kurt was sitting in the chair next to where she usually sat, piling some bacon onto his plate. "Morning, Keety," he greeted, grinning at her as she took a seat beside him. "Sleep vell?"

Ah. Just as she had suspected - it was him. "Yeah," she responded, eying him suspiciously. "I mean, I did until I, like, woke up with a paper on my f-" She stopped herself when she realized she'd taken a seat on something on her chair. She stood up and picked up the paper she'd sat on. It was yet another one of those red hearts - this one had a pink rose attached to it, one she'd, thankfully, not managed to squish. _"Want to know who I am? Follow the rose petals."_

Kitty glanced over her shoulder in time to notice a trail of rose petals leading out of the room.

"Looks like someone has a secret admirer," Kurt sang, his fangs showing when he smiled widely at her.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You mean it wasn't..." she trailed off, her gaze following the rose petals on the floor.

"Vell, don't you vant to know who it is?"

She nodded slowly. "I guess so." She took one last look at the fuzzy elf before heading out of the room. She had been almost sure it was Kurt, but now that it wasn't... Who could it be?

The hallway felt like it extended on forever, but in reality, it was probably one of the shortest in the mansion. Kitty, in a way, didn't want to know who the admirer was. For all she knew, it was just some stupid prank. Hopefully everyone had already thought better of making her angry, though.

The rose petals were beautiful, even considering they were just lying on the floor. Whoever her admirer was, unless this was a trick, was sure to be a sweet, thoughtful guy.

The petals stopped just short of a closed door at the end of the hallway. She was standing there, deciding on whether or not she should open it when, suddenly, she heard a _bamf _and then Nightcrawler appeared in front of her. "Oh, Kurt," she muttered, not exactly disappointed, but not as curious as she had been before. It was clear what was going on here. It really had been him all along. She wasn't surprised that it was her favorite elf. After all, it wasn't like he'd never tried to impress her.

The only thing different about this situation compared to any other one was... well, even though she hated to admit it, him trying to impress her, this time around, was working. And working well.

Unfortunately, though, she really liked Lance, and this couldn't change anything between her and Kurt. They were great friends, but that's all.

He seemed confused, and was about to say something, when she wrapped her arms around him in a big bear hug. "Aw, Fuzzy. This was so sweet. Thank you."

"Vhat?"

She laughed. "Next time just tell me, though. We can be honest with each other, right?"

"Ja..." He nodded slowly as she pulled away and headed back down the hallway to the dining room.

Suddenly, the door behind him swung open and out stepped one heartbroken twelve year old. "Look what you've done," Jamie mumbled, throwing a yellow rose down onto the floor. He glared up at Kurt, trying not to pout, even though this really wasn't the best day ever.

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed. "Vhat did I do?"

"I was trying to win Kitty over and you ruined everything," he explained, a disgusted look on his face. "She doesn't even know I exist and now she's in love with you."

"Keety?" Kurt repeated. "In love vith me? Vhat makes you zink..."

"Oh, isn't it obvious? She hugged you and everything - and she smiled! She thinks you're the greatest person on the planet or something. My plan didn't even work..."

Nightcrawler seemed stuck on the idea of Kitty liking him. Before he'd met Amanda, he'd been crazy about her. And _now _she decided it was time to like him back? Really?

He loved Amanda - a lot - but even so, the idea of Kitty finally coming around didn't sound so bad. He just wondered what had changed her mind. Maybe now would be a good time to find out...

Without another word, he 'ported out of the room and into the dining room, dangling off the chandelier right in front of Kitty. No one else had gotten to breakfast yet, other than Logan, who sat by the window, reading the paper.

"Katzchen," Kurt whispered, not wanting Wolverine to overhear, "you said ve can tell each other anyzing, right?"

Kitty looked up at him from where she was eating fruit for breakfast. The bacon he'd left at his spot made her shudder just thinking of how unhealthy it was. "Yeah. Totally. But you don't have to, like, explain anything, Kurt. I understand."

He had no idea what the heck she was talking about, but nodded, anyway. "Ja. Is there anyzing you vould like to tell me?" He winked at her, grinning.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Kurt was expecting her to say something. Clearly, he was expecting her to love him. Lance was the one she really loved, though. She just didn't want to break Kurt's heart - especially not after all those nice things he'd done for her. "Listen... Kurt, I... I mean, it's really complicated, y'know?"

He nodded, teleporting down to his chair to sit next to her. "I know, but it's not so hard to admit these zings. I already know vhat you are going to say."

Kitty's face lit up. "You do?" she asked, relief flooding through her. "Well... that's great! Thanks for understanding, Kurt!"

"Of course, Katzchen." He smiled. "I understand, but... vhat made you start feeling zis way?" He glanced down at his hands. "It vas the fur, vasn't it? L-"

Her eyes widened. How could he think that? "Oh, no, Kurt! It wasn't your fur!" she assured him quickly, putting a comforting arm around him. "It was definitely not the fur, I promise!"

He felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. "You don't like it?"

"No, I love it!" she exclaimed.

"Vhat...?" His eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she gave him another big hug.

_Poor Fuzzy, _she thought. _He's, like, so self conscious sometimes._

Logan looked up from the newspaper to stare at the strange scene before him. Those crazy kids... always up to something. "Mind tellin' me what's goin' on here?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows at them. He'd tuned the conversation out before, but it was strange to see Kitty hugging the elf so hard - and she looked so sad.

She pulled away from Kurt, giving him a sorrowful look before turning back to Wolverine. "Kurt and I were just, like, sorting some things out."

The older man nodded slowly, shooting Nightcrawler an unexplainable look. Kurt shrugged in return.

He looked back at Kitty, unsure of what to say now. "How long have you been feeling this w-"

She interrupted him. "Since the very beginning, Kurt." She hated saying this to him right now, when he was clearly going through so much doubt in his mind, but it needed to be out in the open now, so it wouldn't get worse later. "I thought you, like, understood that, though."

The _very beginning? _Kurt couldn't believe his ears. Why hadn't she told him before, then? Why was she keeping all her feelings inside? And what about _Lance? _Where had _that_ relationship come from?

The elf sighed. "Keety...I zink you should know something..."

She nodded. "Sure. What is it, Kurt?"

"Vell... I really like Amanda - a lot." He wished he would shut up before he broke his best friend's heart, but he couldn't help it. This needed to be said, before it was too late.

Shadowcat smiled softly. "Of course you do, Fuzzy. That's great. It's just what I wanted to hear, you know?"

He was taken aback by this and could only blink at her for a second. "...Vhy?"

"Because I, like, know how much you two care about each other - and I want you to be happy."

Now it was Kurt's turn to reach out and hug her. That was one of the most selfless things anyone had done. She loved him so much that she'd put what he wanted before what she wanted. "Oh, Katzchen. Danke."

She laughed and accepted the hug, even though she had no idea what she could've done to deserve a hug.

Logan glanced up from his paper again to witness the second hug. He sighed. Valentine's Day obviously made everyone crazy.

As if proving his point, Jamie came running into the room at that moment, wearing a tuxedo and holding a bouquet of blue roses. He needed to make an entrance, if he wanted to win Kitty over. Roberto and Sam walked in, both of them dressed up as well. The trio stood tall, all looking very professional and fancy.

"I'm here... here in..." Jamie tried, sighing when he couldn't remember. He turned to Roberto, lowering his voice. "What do I say?"

Roberto whispered something to Jamie as Sam rolled his eyes.

By now, Kitty and Kurt had pulled out of the hug and were staring at the guys.

"I'm here in the name of love!" Jamie proclaimed proudly.

He motioned to Sam and Roberto for them to step forward. Simultaneously, each of them handed Kitty a box of heart-shaped candies. One of the boxes had "_Be Mine_" written on the front, but someone had, with permanent marker, marked out "_Mine_" and sloppily scribbled "_Jamie's_" next to it.

"What-" Kitty began, but Roberto put a finger to her lips.

"Ssh," he interrupted. "Don't speak. Instead, let your heart speak for you."

Kurt and Kitty exchanged a look just before Sam and Roberto backed away, allowing Jamie to step forward.

"Katherine, dear, it is my greatest wish to make you happy," he told her, taking one of her hands in his. "It was I who left the heart on your ceiling, I who left the trail of rose petals, and I who was left in the shadows, forgotten by you because of another admirer."

Sam and Roberto shot Kurt a look so Jamie wouldn't have to.

"It comes as no surprise that you would get the attention of many others," he continued, "but none of them could be as loyal as I. You are the-" He stopped again, glancing back at his friends. "The what?" he whispered.

"That old, ugly spot I got on my apron while cooking," Sam replied, causing everyone to glare at him. "I mean... the old, ugly spot on my apron that I love, because it reminds me that, yes, we can grow from old, ugly mistakes."

Roberto rolled his eyes, noticing how offended Kitty looked. He turned back to Jamie. "Say, 'You are the water to my well, the dream to my daydream. You're the sunshine when it's raining, the living definition of the word _beautiful. _And with that, I have one question for you."

Jamie smiled. "I'll take it from here. Thanks, guys." He turned back to Kitty. "Pretend I said all that." He cleared his throat. "Now, my question is simple: Katherine Pryde, will you be the Katniss to my Peeta?"

Logan mumbled something incoherent under his breath, Roberto face palmed, Sam and Kurt chuckled, and Kitty seemed like she would burst with happiness at Jamie's words.

He handed her the blue roses. "Will you?"

Kitty knew she would never really been in love with Jamie, but he was a great kid. Lance hadn't even called her for Valentine's Day, and apparently Kurt hadn't been as romantic as she'd thought; so she guessed it wouldn't hurt to hang out with her favorite twelve year old for a day. "I'll be your _Valentine,_" she promised. "But, like, after today, we can only be good friends, all right?"

His face lit up like Logan's did just before a Danger Room session. "Okay!" He grabbed her by the arm. "Let's go, my cutie pie!"

Kitty laughed, standing up. "Thanks, Jamie - for everything." She kissed him on the top of the head, smiling to herself.

That kid would make some girl very happy one day.

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**I really don't know enough about Roberto or Sam. I hope they were in character. xD**

**ALSO, a lot of credit for this chapter goes to both of my little sisters. Angel suggested that Kurt believes Kitty likes him and the "will you be the Katniss to my Peeta" thing is something our youngest sister said a while back, except the other way around. I got her permission to put it in the story, though! ^_^ So, I owe them both a huge thank you. :)  
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**Thanks for reading! ^_^ I'm still open to suggestions and ideas, if you guys have any. :] I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! :D**


	3. True Beauty

**I know, I know. It's been a really long time. But, as I said from the beginning, this story is going to be about love, which isn't just one day in the year. So, yes, in July I'm posting the (finally!) finished chapter that I wanted to post on the actual Valentine's Day. :)**

**I would like to thank CandidSerpant, Saiya-jin Queen, lick-my-dictionary (I LOVE your username), and nightsong112 for following this story! :D It means a lot! ^_^ Thanks to those of you who added it to your favorites also! :) And a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Nancy, tx peppa, Sporks, Angel, and Saiya-jin Queen. ^_^ You guys are all amazing! :D**

**This chapter is dedicated to the lovely Sporks, who requested from the beginning that I write a Kurt/Amanda one shot. You made me love them even more than I did before. Thank you. You never cease to make me smile. ^_^ I hope you love it. :)**

**Enjoy! ^_^**

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**Chapter Three: True Beauty**

Voices. They were all around him - snickering, taunting, bitter voices. They wouldn't stop coming, not even for a second.

They weren't just voices of the present. No, that would have been to easy. They were voices of the past, things he'd tried to forget. All the memories he'd buried with a smile came flooding back mercilessly, leaving him unsure of which had happened long ago and which were happening now.

"Kurt!" He heard someone - Amanda, he thought - calling out to him over the ruckus.

He wanted to get to her, but everyone was surrounding him and he knew very well that trying to escape their words was pretty much impossible.

That night had been perfect up until about ten minutes ago.

It was the night of Valentine's Day. Kurt Wagner, wanting to be a romantic boyfriend, had taken Amanda out to dinner. That had gone just as planned.

Even holding her hand as they walked to the park under the moonlight had gone well. He was beginning to think he was actually falling in love. Everything was great.

But his stupid holowatch just _had _to mess up, didn't it? In public. On the sidewalk. With a bunch of other people out walking as well. Long story short, his cover was blown and he couldn't fix the watch, no matter how hard he'd tried.

People still weren't used to mutants, especially not ones like Nightcrawler. They still couldn't handle the fact that not everyone in the world was exactly the same. They hated him because he was different.

Covering his head with his hands, he tried to block out the sounds of their voices. He could still hear them, though - no matter how hard he tried to tune them out.

"What're you, a demon?" one man asked. "What makes you think you should just walk around out in the open?"

Kurt could feel the people getting closer, closing in around him. He shut his eyes, wanting to cry. He hadn't felt like this since he was in Germany.

Sure, he'd had nightmares, and he'd spent some days remembering nothing but his past. Nothing like this had ever happened, though. This is what the X-Men could never understand. They never saw how hard it was for him sometimes. They never saw how, no matter what, no regular person could ever accept him. At least the others _looked _normal.

Americans were just as bad as the Germans had been before, if not worse. They attacked verbally instead of hunting him down. They had surrounded him, though, leaving him lying on the ground in a curled up, helpless ball, trying to block it all out.

"Kurt!" It was Amanda again. He opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when he heard another person call him a demon. He wanted to get out of there, but he wasn't sure how. Years of pain and torture came flooding back into his mind as he listened to every word they were saying. He couldn't stop it. He couldn't block it out. Why not? This was supposed to be perfect. This night was supposed to be spent with Amanda. Why did the stupid image inducer have to mess up?

Amanda tried to move past a man who easily resembled Santa Claus, but found herself unable to do so when he planted his feet firmly on the ground and stood there like a skyscraper, in her way. Huffing angrily, she tried once again to call to Kurt, but he didn't respond, for his hands were over his elfish ears. Sighing to herself, the girl moved around the circle of people and squeezed between a woman with a baby, who was complaining about how unsafe it was to walk the streets these days, due to mutants messing everything up.

Amanda got down on all fours, moving around everyone's feet in order to reach her boyfriend. She didn't care if her dress was getting dirty, she didn't care whether or not those people thought she was crazy, and she didn't care that her Valentine's Day date had been ruined. All she cared about right now was helping Nightcrawler. She hadn't thought of it before, but she truly was one of the only people who didn't mind mutants, one of the only people who would dare fall in love with one these days. But she had, and the world couldn't change that.

Pushing a few people out of her way, she finally reached the fuzzy elf. He was shaking a bit, whimpering softly. She reached out, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Kurt."

He jumped in surprise, but moved just enough so he could see her. The other people hadn't shut up yet, but focusing on her face made everything a bit better. She looked sorry for him. Her brown eyes were soft, loving, and they gave him a little bit of hope, even in the midst of his storm. She wasn't like everyone else. She never would be.

"It's okay," she whispered, wiping a few stray tears from his furry cheek. "They don't understand yet, but they will someday." She smiled the smallest of smiles and took his hand. "Let's get out of here."

There was a quick _bamf, _some smoke, and then they were gone, leaving behind an angry, confused crowd of people.

They ended up somewhere halfway between the park and his home, next to a deserted bus stop. Kurt looked terribly upset and exhausted, so Amanda led him over to the bench close by, sitting down next to him, not once letting go of his hand.

The two of them didn't speak for a long time, Kurt lost in his thoughts and Amanda trying to figure out what to do next. It would probably best if the two of them went back home, but, then again, she knew he probably didn't feel like going anywhere at this point.

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, leaning her head on him. "I'm so sorry, Kurt."

"Nein," he muttered, wiping his face on his arm. "I am sorry. Tonight vas supposed to be special."

"It was," she assured him, rubbing his back gently to help him calm down. "It was the most amazing date I've ever been on."

He doubted that, but nodded, anyway.

She sighed, trying to meet his golden eyes, but he wouldn't allow her to. "Kurt, look at me." He obeyed, reluctantly. "Those people were wrong, you know."

"Zey vere right. Not about everyzing, but about a lot," he told her, and she noticed his accent came out more when he was upset. "I look like a demon. They vere scared of me." Amanda watched sorrowfully as he stared down at his three fingered, blue hands. "I've always known I am not like everyone else, but . . . I thought, in America, zings vould be different."

She wasn't so sure she wanted to know the answer, but she took a deep breath, and asked, quietly, "What do you mean 'different'? What was it like in Germany?"

He was silent for a few, long moments, trying to gather his thoughts, so he'd be able to tell the story without putting too many opinions into it. "Back vhen I lived in Germany, people vere afraid of me. I had no image inducer. I usually stayed home, but . . . one night, I left, only for a few minutes. People saw me and, before I knew it, zey vere chasing me vith weapons. They vere screaming and calling me a demon. I ran for a long time zat night. It vas terrifying."

He sighed, images of that horrible night flooding his mind once again. "My parents didn't mind how I looked, but zey tried to keep me safe from the rest of the town. Vhen I came to America to meet the professor, I zought zings vould change. Zey didn't, though. People here hate mutants, too. Especially blue, fuzzy demons."

Amanda knew, even at that moment, that she'd never be able to truly understand what her boyfriend must have been feeling, what all mutants must have felt. She knew she'd never be able to relate, or to understand what he was going through, but she could, at the very least, be there for him. She stared into the eyes that she'd become so familiar with, the eyes she adored. "Kurt . . . Sometimes people fear what they don't understand. It's the same in every country. People tend to make assumptions before they know the truth, but it's just because they're scared."

"Ja. Of _me._"

She shook her head quickly, taking his hand and squeezing it. "No. Not of you. They're afraid of all mutants. They're judging you for who they _think_ you are, not who you _really _are."

He'd never once felt so confused. He'd never once been so disappointed in both himself and others. Amanda, who was perfect in every sense of the word, was supposed to be spending her Valentine's Day night having the greatest time of her life. She was supposed to be somewhere nice, watching a chick flick, not at a bus stop comforting him. Even so, he didn't want her to leave his side. He needed her, even if it was a bit selfish. "And who am I?"

She smiled, a real, wide one that seemed to be the most genuine smile he'd ever seen. "_You, _Kurt, are not a demon. You're not _just _a mutant. You are _the _most amazing person I've ever met. You're cute, smart, funny, and sweet." She winked. "Did I mention you were sweet?" She stared up at the stars, content with simply holding his hand under the streetlight, sitting on an old, wooden bench. Even the nicest restaurant in the world couldn't have been more incredible than this. "Demons don't help people. They don't care about others. They drag people down. And you have _never _done that. You're not what everyone says you are. You're wonderful, Kurt, and you always have been."

He could only gape at her, unsure of what he could say after that. He knew the X-Men cared about him, he knew they would all do anything to help him. But he hadn't heard anyone say such nice things to him, ever before. He'd never heard an average human say anything like that. Amanda may have been a regular girl, but she wasn't like all the others. She saw him for who he was, not what the world called him. She cared enough to see who he truly was, to want to know what was underneath all that blue fur.

"Beauty isn't always on the outside, you know," she went on. "People go based on how others look, but that means they're missing the best part. True beauty comes from the inside."

"Ze inside?" he managed. Suddenly he felt much like a small child, talking to an older, wiser woman. She didn't seem like a sixteen year old anymore. She seemed like she was eighty-something and wise beyond her years.

She moved closer to him, placing a hand over the left side of his chest. "The inside. Your heart. What's in there is what matters, that's where beauty comes from." She smiled even wider, if possible. "Kurt, honestly, I know a lot of people who pretend. I know they pretend to be something they're not. I know people whose hearts aren't as nice as their bodies. But . . . You're different. Your heart is amazing and beautiful." She reached up to put a hand on his cheek. He put his hand on top of hers. "You have a heart of gold. And you don't look like a demon. You look like an angel, on the inside and out."

Kurt wanted to thank her, he wanted to somehow express the overjoyed, floating-on-clouds feeling inside of him, but words could not explain it. Nothing he said would ever show her how much she meant to him, how thankful he was for not only her words, but her as a person. "Danke," he whispered, more meaning behind that word than she would ever know.

Before he knew it, he was leaning toward her gradually, smiling softly, his fangs showing. He'd been waiting to do this all night and maybe, just maybe, she would understand everything he was feeling, if this one, simple thing happened.

"I love you, Kurt," she whispered, leaning toward him as well.

He didn't answer, but their kiss answered for him. Now she would understand what she had just taught him. Now she would know that _she _was the angel, sent to him from above. Now she would know that she held a beauty more beautiful than anyone else's. She was his angel and she always would be.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! :) I hope Amanda was in character, it's been a while since I've seen an episode with her in it...**

**I had another idea for this chapter that didn't include the image inducer messing up, but I decided to go with this. Maybe later when I want to write another Kurt/Amanda one shot, I'll post that version. ;)**

**Also, thanks for anyone who suggested a couple! ^_^ I'm really excited about all of the ones y'all want me to write about! Rogue and Gambit were requested twice, so that will most likely be the next chapter. ;D Then, of course, I'll do the Wanda/Pyro and Wanda/Todd chapters.**

**OH. Also, to those who know a lot about Pyro, can some of you guys either review or shoot me a PM and explain his personality and such to me? I remember nothing about him almost and I'll need to know quite a few things before I can write the Wanda/Pyro chapter. Thanks!**

**Now, it's time for a dare. I dare you to go tell someone you love them. Right now. I don't care if it's someone you know, or a total stranger. Just go tell someone you love them. :) Have a great night! ^_^**


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